Badrinath
Situated on the right bank of Alaknanda at an altitude
of 3,133 meters, Badrinath is encircled by a beautiful valley. The 15 mts.
high temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is built in the form of a cone
with a small cupola of a ilt bull and spire. It was built by Adi Guru
Shankaracharya and the temple has been renovated several times since then
due to damage by avalanches. The temple now has a modern look due to its
colourful 'singh dwara' or the main-entrance gate.
The temple is divided into three parts the 'garbha griha' or sanctum
sanctorum, the' darshan mandap' where the rituals are conducted and the
'sabha mandap' where the devotees gather to offer the prayers. The temple
has one metre high image of Badrinath, finely sculpted in black stone which
represents lord Vishnu seated in a meditative pose.
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Getting there
Air : The nearest airport is at Jelly Grant situated 315 km away
from Badrinath.
Rail : The nearby railway stations are at Rishikesh, 297 km away,
and Kotdwara, 327 km away.
Road : Bus service to Badrinath from Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehra Dun,
Kotdwara and other major towns is readily available.
Kedarnath
One of the twelve ' Jyotirlingas' of Kedar or Lord Shiva
is surrounded by the mountains of the Kedarnath range. The shrine of
Kedarnath lies at an altitude of 3.581 mts above sea level on the head of
river Mandakini and is the holiest pilgrimage for the Hindus. The origin of
the revered temple can be found in Mahabharata, the Pandavas sought the
blessings of Lord Shiva to apologize their sins after the battle of
Mahabharata but Lord Shiva eluded them repeatedly and while fleeing took
refuge at Kedarnath in the form of a bull. On being followed HE dived into
the ground, leaving behind HIS hump on the surface and this conical
protrusion is worshipped as the idol on the shrine. The remaining portions
of Lord Shiva are worshipped at four places the arms (bahu) at Tungnath,
mouth (mukha) at Rudranath, naval (nabhi) at Madmaheshwar and hair (jata) at
Kalpeshwar and together with Kedarnath, these places are known as the Panch
Kedar.
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Getting there
Kedarnath is 239 km from Dehradun of which the first 225 km. is by road and
the remaining 14 km a trekking route.
Rail : Rishikesh is the nearest railway station and is 221 km from
Kedarnath.
Road : Kedarnath is well connected by bus services to other centers
in the region. Ponies and porters are available at Gaurikund, from where the
14 km trek to Kedarnath starts.
Gangotri
The shrine of Gangotri is situated at an altitude of 3,200
mts. above sea-level and is one of the most important pilgrimages for the
devout Hindu. This 18th century temple was built by Gorkha General Amar
Singh Thapa and is near the place where the goddess Ganga first descended on
earth from heaven, in answer to the prayers of King Bhagriath.
Lord Shiva received her into his matted locks to break the great force of
her fall. From there it emerged into many streams and the one which started
from Gangotri was called Bhagirathi. The temple is situated on the right
bank of the Bhagirathi and there are number of ashrams on the outside of
Bhagirathi which provide accommodations for the travellers .
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Getting there
Air : The nearest airport is Jolly Grant which is 26 kms from
Rishikesh.
Rail : The nearest railway station is at Rishikesh.
Road : Gangotri is connected by road to Uttar Kashi, Tehri Garhwal,
Rishikesh and other parts of the country.
Yamunotri
It is one of the four most important pilgrimages,
collectively known as 'Char Dham' of the Garhwal Himalayas. According to a
legend a sage, Asit Muni,used to reside at this secluded spot in ancient
times. The prime attraction at Yamunotri is the temple devoted to goddess
Yamuna and the holy thermal springs at Jankichatti which are 7km. Away.
The source of the Yamuna lies a further km. ahead at an altitude of
approximately 4421 mts. The present temple was constructed by Maharani
Gularia of Jaipur in the nineteenth century.
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Getting there
Air : The nearest airport is Jolly Grant, about 70 km from Yamunotri
Rail : The nearest railway station is at Rishikesh, at a distance of
222 km via Narendranagar and Haridwar.. We would provide you all India
tourist permit vehicles for the local transportations and also for the
intercity drives too.
Road : One can reach Hanuman Chatti by bus from Rishikesh,
Mussourie, Uttarkashi, Gangotri, Badkot, Haridwar and Dehradun. From there,
one has to either trek a distance of 14 km or use ponies and palanquins,
which are available on hire.
